Put a Bullet Through My Heart
by KingRadish
Summary: AU. Juvia remembered the first time she laid eyes on him as he walked in with his jacket slung casually over his shoulder, his tie hung around his neck, and that weary smile gracing his features. She was a bartender pursuing her dream. He was her angel who fell from heaven. Ch 3- Shades of Blue
1. The First Time

**hello again! okay i know, I know, I went ahead and started another story when none of the other ones have been updated! sorry about that! I have the attention span of a goldfish. eventually ill get back around to those, but probably not right now. **

**anyway, here's another gruvia story! :) hope its good!**

**-Radish**

Juvia remembered the first time she laid eyes on him as he walked in with his jacket slung casually over his shoulder, his tie hung around his neck, and that weary smile gracing his features.

He was her first customer and she'd thought he looked like an angel. Her angel. A little tired and rumpled, but an angel all the same.

All day she had been waiting behind the bar, alternating between daydreaming and pacing the floor worriedly. This was her dream, and the thought of it failing was inconceivable. The seconds had turned into minutes, the minutes into hours, and the hours into what had seemed like an eternity.

They'll come. She'd assured herself time and and time again as she tapped her fingers on the bar counter. It's too early. That's all. No one comes to a bar during the day, right? So she'd passed her time by memorizing the drink recipes, which she knew that she already knew by heart.

Opening a bar was her dream. For five long years she'd worked relentlessly to save up enough money to buy her own and to gain experience. For five long years she'd dreamed and hoped and worked and it looked like those five years might have been for nothing. All her dreams would burn to ashes.

If no one came around on opening day, she could probably say no one would come around EVER. She'd felt sniffles coming and begged herself not to cry.

Then, the door opened and he walked in.

He sauntered in with his wind-blown dark hair and his sharp blue eyes, casually, and glanced around. He seemed to examine the walls, the windows, the floor, and every nook and cranny in a single glance.

She held her breath. She thought that never in her life had she ever seen another man so beautiful as he seemed to her right then.

Suddenly those eyes were on her face and she felt herself turning red. She let out her breath in a whisper. "Hey..." unconsciously she stood up straighter and smoothed out the wrinkles in her dress.

He smiled at her. "Hey yourself!" His smile widened into a grin and he walked over to the bar. "How are you? I'm Gray Fullbuster."

She took his outstretched hand and shook it. His grip was strong but not crushing. All the while she said nothing, and finally she found her voice again. "Juvia is glad to meet you!" She smiled at him and blinked back the tears. "Welcome to Fairy Tail!"

"I like what you did with the place. It's real nice. After Phantom Lord shut down, I thought I wouldn't have a place to go after..." He hesitated. "After work." He shrugged, then sat down on a bar stool and stretched. "Just whiskey for me today. It's been a long day."

Juvia nodded in what she hoped was a pleasant manner and went about pouring his drink. She kept sneaking glances at him as she worked, feeling embarrassed and strangely out of place in her own bar.

"So, what brings a cutie like you to this sort of place?"

She blushed. It was a simple question, and he probably didn't want a long answer, but she found herself talking about her school years, her bartender, her troubles, and her dreams. She felt sure that it was boring him to death, but his enticing eyes never left her face.

When she finished with a shaky breath, she looked nervously at him. He was looking at her in a most peculiar way. She stared hard at the floor as her fingers unconsciously tugged at the ends of her hair.

She must have bored him with her silly stories.

Juvia opened her mouth to apologize, her eyes shining, when he chuckled. She froze, then relaxed.

It was a nice sort of chuckle, without malicious intent or mockery. It was friendly and kind, and melodious, even. The sound reverberated and hung in the air for a few seconds before fading away.

he was leaning back in his stool, watching her with a grin as he sipped his drink. his jacket was thrown over the counter carelessly along with his tie. Juvia couldn't help but notice how the first few buttons of his shirt was unbuttoned, and just couldn't stop herself from noticing how perfect his collarbone and chest were.

She felt her face growing hot again and turned away quickly. At the same time, he set his glass down and sighed contentedly.

"Awesome. Just what I needed." He ran his hand through his raven hair and stood up. "Well, Juvia, welcome to Magnolia. I still have some stuff left to do, but I'll be back later with the gang. They'll be glad someone like you reopened the place."

She watched him gather up his belonging and throw his jacket over his shoulder. Some part of her was sad to see him leave, but his visit had brought her back some of the hope she'd lost during the day.

Maybe things would be alright after all.

She watched him saunter to the door. "Bye Mr. Fullbuster."

He paused at the sound of her voice and turned around with his hand hovering over the door handle. "Nah, just Gray is good, 'kay? See ya later!"

And he grinned again before walking out.

Juvia thought she could love that grin as she stood facing the door for another five minutes. The burning of her cheeks refused to fade. The clock ticked away merrily in the background of her consciousness.

Tick tock. Tick tock.

Yup, she could definitely love that man.

**okay... thats Chapter 1! please leave me some feedback! some things might be confusing now, but it'll clear up soon!**

**Uhh I have never been to a bar (I'm underage haha) so I actually don't know what it's like! I just sorta took whatever impression I have and put it into words. sorry if it's completely wrong! feel free to pm me or correct anything in the reviews.**

**ciao! next chapter probably won't be coming anytime soon hahahahaha :'(**


	2. The Gang

**haha normally when I say I won't be updating in a while, I mean a REALLY REALLY long time. but I guess I lied this time! so, two days after the first chapter, I present to you, chapter 2 of Put a Bullet Through My Heart! I hope it's alright. but seriously, the next update will take a long time.**

**-Radish**

Ch2 - The Gang

The comforting darkness lulled over her senses and embraced her like a mother would a child. Warmth flooded her being from head to toe and she wished that she could remain this way, pure and unworried, for eternity. Alone, but not lonely.

Her consciousness drifted on the lightless tides which numbed her senses. Now, she could fully enjoy this solitude if it only weren't for this foreign feeling in her cheek. It felt as if her face was being stretched and prodded at the same time.

"Oi, flame brain! Stop assaulting Juvia!"

His voice was like the crack of a pistol and her eyes snapped open. The darkness receded and a dim light flooded her eyes. For a second, she could not understand where she was. The strange feel of the new wood she was resting on, the smell of smoke that permeated the room, and the persistant prodding of her cheek shocked her. Where was she? Why was she here?

She looked up and saw a pink-haired man perched on one of the barstools across from her with one hand hovering over her cheek in mid-poke.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" She scrambled backwards, pointing an accusing finger at the guy in front of her. He looked bored and absolutely unapologetic.

"Oh, you're awake?" He looked her over up and down. Then he sniffed the air. Apparently satisfied, he grinned, showing off a pair of sharp canines. "So you're Ju-"

A flurry of footsteps descended upon them and a flying fist appeared, followed by the rest of Gray. "What the hell are you doing to her?!"

The pink-haired man had regained his footing after being knocked off his stool by the sudden attack. He rubbed his new bruise and glared at Gray. "You underwear princess! Why'd you sneak attack me? I'll pay you back ten-fold!"

With that he launched himself at Gray until the two were entangled in one big, punching mess. "Gray-sama! Please stop this!" Juvia begged, eyebrows furrowing.

Gray looked up at her with surprise. "Gray-SAMA?" His assailant took the opportunity to uppercut him, throwing him into the bar. The wood groaned as the bottles clinked against one another. Gray leapt to his feet in a flash, eyes blazing.

Juvia thought she saw the glint of cold metal for a second and her heart stopped beating. Then an icy calmness she hadn't felt in a long time took over and she stepped out between them.

"Both of you! Stop this immediately or Juvia is going to have to ask you to leave."

She felt his gaze on her but did not move. This was her bar, and she would keep her rules if it meant losing her only customers. She would not have a bar fight- and one without alcohol at that!- on her opening day. She would not tolerate it!

The pinkie was the first to back down. He rubbed his bruises gingerly and said, "Well, i guess I'd better quit while I'm on top! Luce and Erza are gonna show up soon, and if they catch us fighting..." Both men gulped uneasily at the thought and Gray relaxed his stance too.

"Sorry about that, Juvia." Gray laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. She shivered at his ice cold touch. "I didn't mean to start a fight on your first day. Will you forgive me?"

Juvia looked at his handsome, narrow face, and God, how could she not? His eyes stole her breath away. She nodded numbly, and he smiled at her. She nearly swooned. He had fought for her sake after all... Her hero...

"Anyway, this is-"

"I am the Great Demon Lord Dragneel!" The pink haired man declared, puffing out his chest and sticking out his hand. "Nice to meetcha!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Great Demon Lord-san." Juvia replied seriously as she took his hand hesitantly and he pumped it a few times with enthusiasm. His hand was large and rough but his grip was warm and strong. At her words he guffawed.

Gray scoffed behind her and once again she was reminded of his proximity and that hand on her shoulder. She could feel his skin on the exposed nape of her neck and willed herself not to pay attention despite feeling as if his touch was the focus of her world at the moment.

Juvia was never one to flirt or have one-night stands, or even have impulsive emotions, but this man made her heart leap every time he looked at her despite only meeting him mere hours before. She exhaled slowly, trying to find that icy clarity from minutes before.

And yet it evaded her grasp and she wondered if he could hear her heart pounding against her ribs.

When he spoke she could feel his breath on the back of her neck, cool and fresh. "Juvia, don't play along with this idiot. His name is Natsu Dragneel and he's honestly the only one who calls himself Great Lord or whatever. I mean, he orders Pepsi at bars! Sheesh, you're such a kid sometimes, Natsu."

"Shut up stripper! Actin' like you're so cool all the time, drinking your whiskey. Well, Mr. Cool, This afternoon you screwed up so bad that the target got away and now-"

The door opened and two women strolled in wearing the most stunning dresses Juvia thought she ever saw. Gray's hand fell from her shoulder.

"Natsu! I missed you!" The blonde girl ran towards said man and glomped him. Juvia thought Natsu's already blinding smile was just a tad brighter as he spun her around in a circle and then crushed her to his chest in a hug.

"Missed you too, Luce! How'd it go?"

Luce paused for a second, then touched her finger to his lips. "Talk later, kay? Let's get something to drink!" She broke away from Natsu and sashayed to the bar, her golden locks swinging. Juvia thought she was gorgeous.

"Hi there! I'm Lucy! Juvia, right? We're probably gonna all be regulars here, so let's all be friends as well, okay?"

Juvia smiled back and nodded. "Nice to meet you Lucy-san! I hope we can all get along."

"Guess I'll have a seduction on the rocks tonight!" She sat down sideways and Juvia noticed how her smooth legs seemed to go on forever from under that sexy dress. She probably had many men lusting after her, she thought, not without a pang of jealousy. But that pang faded quickly, as Juvia had long ago come to terms with her own body.

As she made Lucy's drink, Juvia noticed the other woman, who had flaming scarlet hair, talking with Gray and Natsu. Their voices were hushed, but she was obviously upset about something.

Lucy noticed Juvia looking at them. "Oh, that's Erza. She's generally nice, but those two really goofed stuff up today. But that's okay! She's just really strict!" The last part was whispered conspiratorially as Juvia handed her her drink.

Lucy took a long sip and sighed happily. She leaned forward. "So, what brings you here, Juvia?"

"Well, Juvia has dreamed of having her own bar for a long time now, so when she found this place on sale for a really low price, she bought it and opened Fairy Tail! Juvia used to know a bartender who worked here. He helped Juvia a lot in her life about finding herself, so it's kind of like taking up the torch, if you will." Juvia giggled.

Lucy raised a perfectly-formed eyebrow. "You don't know what happened here?"

Juvia shook her head and frown, confused. "What happened here?" She echoed.

Lucy uncrossed her long legs and leaned even closer. "Juvia, when you bought the place, did anyone mention a gang fight?"

"N-no..." There was a ball of lead in the pit of her stomach.

Now it was Lucy's turn to frown. "It's been all over the news over here. That's why the Phantom Lord closed down in the first place. There was a gang fight and ten people were shot dead here. How could you not know?"

"Um, Juvia actually bought this bar through an acquaintance who lived around here? Juvia used to live in Hargeon, so he helped her with contacting and buying to save her trouble..."

Lucy thought for a second and took a long sip from her drink as she swished the liquid around in her glass. "And his name is?"

"Jose-san."

And suddenly everyone was quiet.

"Jose? As in that Jose?!" Lucy slammed her glass on the counter. She rubbed her temples. "Oh, Juvia, Juvia, Juvia. Jose is the leader of the defeated gang! You've been tricked into buying this bar in this crappy area of town by the gang leader who needed some money to get away! you probably spent your life's savings on this place, right?" She shook her head sadly.

Juvia was frozen to her position. Her throat was dry as parchment paper and a shiver passed through her body. The ball of lead grew heavier still. What was there to say?

Gray walked forward and sat down on another stool. "Unfortunately, that's probably the truth. But we' ll bring Cana here, and everything will be alright, so don't look that way. She's crazy rich and she's a huge drinker! Better stock up on beer," he grinned reassuringly at her. "You'll always have us lazing around here soaking up your alcohol."

Juvia found herself drowning in those infinitely deep midnight blue eyes. Eyes are the windows to the soul, they say, and these windows were spotless. Juvia has always found herself to be a good judge of people, and in those spotless depths she saw only icy coldness.

There was no kindness, no hope and no joy. Nothing of the man he pretended to be.

She had seen those eyes somewhere before, somewhere dark and hopeless. Somewhere inescapable. Somewhere evil.

Everything clicked together at once.

Cold metal.

The target got away.

And Juvia realized with a chill that she was staring into the eyes of a killer.

**how was that? sorry the ending was a little too quick. I thought It would be less boring if I moved it along faster. Oh, Gray you faker. don't act nice if you're not. Hehe well, I hope you enjoyed that! next chapter probably won't come too soon! please leave a review or whatnot so I will wanna keep writing!**


	3. Shades of Blue

**Hi I'm finally done chapter 3! Yay! I kept on writing it, then deleting it, then writing it again. So glad I finally settled on a version.**

**Anyway, things get kinda obvious in this chapter. **

**Also, I hope you like NaLu, cuz I love them! NaLu gets a pretty nice chunk of this chapter.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-Radish**

* * *

Blood. Blood was at her feet-pooling, oozing as it spread under her stiletto heels.

She took a step forward, heart pounding. The darkness choked her thoughts and the crisp night air burned her lungs like freezing acid. The pointy toe of her high-heel touched something soft.

The body. She had to make sure he was dead.

But who? Who? Who was lying there? Why was she smiling?

A gun was smoking in her right hand, white smoke floating into the air silently. Her nails were painted baby blue, and her finger was still resting on the trigger. Somewhere in the back of her head she felt a dim worry that her manicure might have been ruined.

Horrifying. Why was she here?

She switched the gun to her left hand and laughed. Her heeled foot landed on top of the man's over-sized gut. He moaned in pain, so she put some more weight on her heel.

"I hate men like you." She giggled and sneered at the man lying at her feet with the crimson pool under his body. "Such goddamned pigs, only after my body. What about your wife? Your kids? Don't they matter anymore? You deserve to die." She spat. The body groaned again. "Aww, are you hurting, baby? Want Juvia to make everything better? I know a magic trick that always works."

She pointed the gun's barrel at his head. Laughing, she looked down.

And her laughter died in her throat.

Gray was beaming up at her. "Juvia," he gurgled, his teeth stained with blood. "Nice to meetcha."

And he laughed.

* * *

Juvia sat up in bed, gasping. Her eyes were wide and unseeing, her mind whirling in a hurricane of memories and thoughts. Her heart was racing a million miles an hour as she clutched her drenched tank top.

It was always the same dream recently, but every single time scared her to death.

Her bed covers were strewn about her as if she had been the center of an explosion. The clock ticked away in the silent background, merrily disregarding her and the world.

Tick tock. Tick tock.

Raindrops pattered on the window, dancing to an invisible beat. The darkness was a smothering blanket, but it was cold, calm, and solitary. The seconds passed by.

Finally she was able to breathe again. She was alive. Juvia was here, safe in her bedroom in Magnolia. She was Juvia now, and she was kind and compassionate. She loved all the little things in life. She loved her bar. She loved her friends. She loved who she was.

She couldn't see her hands in the darkness, but she could tell they were shaking. These hands that held the gun. These hands that did horrible, evil deeds to people who didn't deserve them.

Now it was too late to say sorry, huh.

Tick tock. Tick tock.

* * *

"Hey, Juvia."

Fairy Tail had been open for exactly two months now. Turns out, business wasn't all that bad despite the violent history of the bar. People came and went, but Juvia always had her regulars. Over the days, they have become close friends and Juvia almost considers them family.

Sometimes they came with their friends, who all have big personalities. Juvia always enjoyed their company. It made things livelier.

She knew lots about them, yet she was always finding out new things.

She smiled, hands still working to mix his drink."Yes, Natsu-san?"

He looked nervous as he glanced around furtively. Lucy wasn't here and Erza and Gray were engaged in an intense game of pool.

It was unusual for happy-go-lucky Natsu to be so unnatural. He was playing piano on the bar counter, something she noticed he did sometimes. She used to play piano in her childhood, when her world was just pure and joyful. The sound of it always brought back memories.

He'd look sheepish and laugh when she asked about it. Usually he just played little tunes that he would hum when he was bored, but tonight it was a full-on symphony. She'd recognized the fingering.

"Um, so you and Luce are friends, right?"

Juvia nodded patiently as she poured his drink into a glass. "At least Juvia thinks so."

"and you're a girl, right?"

Juvia nodded as she set his glass in front of his, where his hands were busy tapping out one of Beethoven's symphonies. "Juvia is a woman, Natsu-san."

"And Luce is a woman, too?"

She wiped her counter. "Juvia thinks so, Natsu-san."

"Then, um, you would know what she'd want for a birthday present?" He looked away, blushing as his fingers slammed out some chords. The ice cubes rattled in his glass.

"Yes, Juvia does know."

Natsu stood up in excitement. "You do?! Tell me!"

"No."

Natsu froze in dismay. Juvia thought he was quite cute in his expressiveness, with his heart on his sleeve and his mouth hanging open in utter shock.

"Ehhhh?! But Juvia! We're nakama, aren't we?!"

"Yes, Natsu-san."

"Then why won't you tell me?!"

"Because Juvia wants something from you."

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously and suddenly, he seemed much older. "What do you want?"

"Juvia wants you to realize that you love Lucy-san." She folded her hands neatly on the immaculate counter.

He grinned proudly. "Of course I do! I love Luce! We're best friends and I know everything about her!"

Juvia politely interjected, "but you cannot decide on a present for her."

He deflated instantly. "Well, I dunno... she says I suck at giving gifts that people like..."

Juvia remembered that Lucy once told her that Natsu had given her a fish for Christmas. A dead, uncooked fish in a squished box with lots of cat claw marks on the side.

He continued. "and she's just super picky! She likes girly stuff! I'm not a girl, so how would I know what she likes?" He grumbled, his muscled arms folding scross his chest.

Juvia smiled indulgently. "Of course not, Natsu-san. But Lucy-san is like every girl-"

"She is not! Luce is special!" His nostrils flared as he glared at her.

Juvia ignored him. "Lucy-san likes sentimentalities like nice gifts and sweet presents. But honestly, she just wants something from you, Natsu-san. She just wants something that shows that you care about her and pay attention to what she likes."

He sighed and stirred his drink absentmindedly. "She should know that I love her without me having to get her useless little things!"

Juvia was curious. "When you say that you love Lucy-san, do you mean only as her best friend?"

He hesitated as he thought. "Only? I dunno..." His fingers started tapping on the counter again.

Juvia pushed her luck. "Well, when you see couples on the streets holding hands or kissing, do you wish that you could do those things with Lucy-san?"

Natsu blinked a couple of times. "Sometimes, i guess... It's kinda weird! Like in those movies Luce likes to watch, right? She always comes up really close to me and i feel different?" He tugged at his scarf uncomfortably. "Like really hot."

Juvia considered it for a few moments. "Lucy-san is very pretty, so there must be lots of men who like her?"

His growl was audible and his eyes grew darker. "Yeah, those losers and douchebags are all just swarming after her! I have to teach them to stay away sometimes. The hard way." He cracked his knuckles menacingly. "Protecting Luce is my duty."

"Natsu-san?"

"Yeah?" He looked up at her.

"You're in love."

He sputtered and spun around to face Gray, who was leaning against the wall casually with his shirt open to reveal his perfect body and his pool cue resting on his shoulder.

Juvia found that incredibly hot. She smoothed out the wrinkles in her dress as she watched him from the corner of her eye. Suddenly her dress felt too small and too tight.

"Gray-sama!" She squeaked, losing her composure and trying not to stare too long at his chest. "Did you finish your game already?"

"Yeah. Erza monster over there totally beat me three games in a row. I'm done for the night. The usual, please." He put down his pool cue and sat down at the bar.

Natsu was still sputtering. "Wha-what do you mean, ya s-s-stripper?!"

"You're totally in love with Lucy, idiot. In LOVE."

Natsu fumbled with his words as he tried to find something to say. He didn't try to deny it, but he didn't want to admit it either. "You stupid ice princess! I don't wanna hear that from you!"

Gray grinned. "That's alright, 'cause we all know it's true!" He dodged a punch, chuckling at his frienemy.

Finally, after some more poking fun at Natsu, they got back to the conversation.

"Just ask her out already, flamebrain. She's been waiting forever."

Natsu's eyes grew wide. "She has?"

Juvia nodded happily. "On the first night you came here, when you and Gray-sama were fighting over who gets to play air hockey with Erza-san, Lucy-san was telling Juvia about how she wanted you to realize her feelings but she doubted if you even understood love."

Natsu gasped. "So Luce likes me? Man... i had no idea!"

Gray and Juvia shared an exasperated look as Natsu considered this epiphany. "I mean, she's always Lucy-kicking me and stuff! And she yells at me a lot!" He looked down and stared at his liquor. "But... but what should I do?"

Gray, to Juvia's utter amazement, was now shirtless, baring his toned body to the world. She stared.

He downed his drink in one movement and slapped his pink-haired friend on the back. Juvia noticed how his muscles rippled and almost swooned.

Gray chuckled as Natsu frowned at his reflection in his glass. "Dude, how old are you again? You looks like a confused puppy!"

Natsu pouted and told his friend to shut up. Gray ruffled his pink-hair affectionately. "Aww, look at you. Well, I'll do you a favor then, 'cause we're bros! Lucy told me about a nice little jewelry shop down the block and how they just have the 'cutest' stuff!"

Natsu perked up at the news. "So I should pick out somethin' for her?"

Gray grinned and Juvia almost died right then and there from prolonged exposure to hotness. "That's right! And let her know that she's special to you."

"Thanks, man!" Natsu was out the door in a flash, laughing like an idiot.

Gray ran his fingers through his hair (which Juvia thought was always effortlessly perfect) and sighed. "Seriously, how have I dealt with him for so long?" He ordered another drink and sat there watching her as she prepared it.

She felt his intense gaze on her exposed back and wondered why she had worn this dress tonight. She remembered just standing in front of her closet trying to decide and finally settling on this dress. It was a rich shade of cobalt that rippled and sparkled with her every movement like glittering waves under the sun. It was her favourite dress, blue like her hair.

And it matched his eyes. She set the drink carefully down on the counter, keeping her gaze lowered. She hoped her face wasn't as red as she felt it was.

As the glass touched the counter, he reached out to take it and their hands brushed for a brief second. She wobbled in her heels, then giggled at her clumsiness.

He smiled and raised the glass to her in a gesture of appreciation. She smiled back at him, careful not to let her eyes wander.

Their gazes met, and Juvia couldn't look away from his eyes. Their depth and clarity shone in a way that stole her breath away. They gave her the chills.

They were alone and the silence was deafening. The soft music that played in the background seem to fade into the distance as the room seemed to shrink until it was just them there separated by a bar counter.

Her hands fidgeted with the dress. She bit her lip. This silence was complete and enveloping, and yet it was fine. There was no need to speak and neither one of them did.

Finally he broke the fragile silence as he finished the drink after what seemed to be an eternity. The clink of the ice cubes seemed infinitely loud as he set the glass down again. "That was great. Thanks Juvia."

The way his lips formed her name and the sound of his voice calling her made her heart skip a beat. It always did. Every single time.

"Hey, uh, I was wondering if-" Gray started hesitantly. Juvia leaned into his every word.

She never got to hear what he wanted to say, as Erza had appeared twirling a dart between her fingers. "Gray, i hope you haven't been bothering Juvia." Her aura was deadly. Gray shrunk back.

"No! Not at all!" Juvia stuttered, blushing furiously from the wild fantasies her mind had conjured up. She had totally forgotten that Erza was still there.

"Good. You better have not." Erza poked Gray's cheek with the sharp end of the dart. He winced.

Erza sat down and stared at him. He looked away awkwardly. Juvia glared at Erza for poking Gray.

A few moments later, Gray stood up abruptly. "Well, it's getting late. I'd better go."

Erza agreed readily. "You'd better. Laxus' got another big assignment for you."

Gray hummed, uninterested. His eyes were on Juvia as he pushed his empty glass forward. Juvia reached for it and his hand closed over hers. He leaned towards her over the counter.

"Pretty dress," he whispered, his voice husky and low. His breath feathered over her ear, making her shiver. "But i like this blue better." His other hand reached up to tuck a stray strand of her hair behind her ear.

She stood there, frozen, as he let go of her hand and disappeared. He smelled nice, she thought.  
"Good night!" He called as he left, slinging his jacket over his shoulder. The door opened and a gust of cold wind billowed in, breaking the spell.

She watched him go, feeling like she was in a dream. Her thoughts were fuzzy and she couldn't get over the feeling of his body so close to hers.

"Smooth guy, huh?" Erza's strong voice broke into her thoughts.

Juvia started. "G-Gray-sama? Yeah-"

Erza leaned on her elbows. "I'm only saying this because I like you, but he's a dangerous guy, okay? A real ladykiller." She grabbed her purse and stood up. "Bye, Juvia."

Another gust of cold air blew in, making her shiver. She looked at her watch. It was eleven-thirty.

* * *

"Well?" Gray asked, leaning against the pole of a feebly flickering streetlight.

"Done." Natsu spun the silencer of a gun in his hand casually as he walked towards the raven-haired man. "Check out this necklace I got for Luce! Think she'll like it?" He fumbled for said present in his pocket, finally producing a tiny red box.

Gray looked at the pendant and grinned. "Seems like my good taste is rubbin' off on you, flamebrain."

"Shut up, stripper. Don't ruin my mood."

Juvia turned off the lights in her bar as she closed up and looked down at the object in her hand.

How would she give his shirt back to him without embarrassing him? She thought about all the scenarios and ended up clouding her thoughts with memories of the night.

Finally, after a lot of thought, blushing, and wild fantasies, Juvia decided that maybe she would keep his shirt until he asked for it.

It smelled like him after all.

**Okay, how was that? Please let me know!**

**Obviously, I have no idea what drinks there are in a bar, hence the vague description of "drink" throughout the chapter and the whole story! **

**Also, I am totally suffering from boredom. I can't find a good anime to watch T.T I just finished Code Geass and now all the mediocre animes seem even worse than usual. I like dark-ish animes (Fairy Tail is an exception haha) and tearjerkers! Please give me recommendations and save me from death from anime withdrawal**

**Thanks a lot! :)**

**-Radish**


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